Grilled Turkey Steaks with Pomegranate Sauce
Tacchina Arrostita alla Melagrana
Region: Italy, Veneto
Category: Fowl-Grilled
Season: Fall
Difficulty: Labor Intensive

In Venetian this preparation is called paeta arosto col malgaragno, roasted turkey with pomegranates.  ItÂ’s a dish typical of the countryside around Arzignano and Montebello, where a baby turkey is spit-roasted.  In my recipe I've taken the basic concept and made it a little more manageable.

[photo: Dennis M. Gottlieb, in Clifford A. Wright, Grill Italian]

Yield: Makes 4 servings
Preparation Time: 1:15 hours

2 pomegranates

1/4 pound pork caul fat

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup very finely chopped onion

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh sage

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 1/2 pounds boneless and skinless turkey breast, sliced into 4 steaks

8 leaves fresh mint for garnish

1. Hit the pomegranates lightly with a mallet or rolling pin, rolling them around on a counter.  This will loosen and lightly crush the seeds inside.  Make a small cut in the skin and pour the juice out into a bowl, squeezing to get as much juice out as possible.  Remove the seeds from the pomegranate and set aside.  Each pomegranate will yield a little more than a 1/2 cup of juice. 

2. Chop 1 ounce (about the size of a walnut when the caul fat is rolled into a ball) of the caul fat very finely and set aside.  Melt 1 tablespoon butter with the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium heat.   Add the onion, sage, and chopped caul fat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, about 8 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.  Pour in two-thirds of the reserved pomegranate juice, saving the remaining third to baste the turkey.  Cook over medium heat until the juice thickens, about 5 minutes.  Strain the sauce through a food mill or strainer, pushing with the back of a wooden spoon.  Return the sauce to the pan and keep warm.

3. Prepare a low charcoal fire or preheat a gas grill for 15 minutes on low.

4. Melt the remaining butter and dip each turkey steak in it.  Salt and pepper the turkey.  Carefully (because itÂ’s fragile) unravel a piece of caul fat and lay on a large plate. Place the turkey steak on one edge of the caul fat, cut the caul fat to fit around the turkey, and wrap the turkey up.  Repeat for the rest of the turkey steaks.

5. Place the turkey on the grill.  If your turkey steaks are cut from the thickest part of the breast and form an oval-shaped package of about 2 inches in thick, grill them, turning occasionally and basting with the remaining pomegranate juice, until golden brown, about 40 minutes.  If your steaks are thinner, like chicken breasts, grill them, turning only once, for 6 to 8 minutes a side on a high heat or close to the fire.  Transfer the turkey to a serving platter, pour the pomegranate sauce over, sprinkle with some reserved pomegranate seeds, and serve with a few leaves of fresh mint.

Variation: 

Note: 

Posted: 12/14/2006